Harley-Davidson seeking ideas through "crowd sourcing"

Harley-Davidson Inc. says it's seeking branding ideas from its motorcycle enthusiasts, launching a campaign through a new advertising agency.

Harley recently split with ad agency Carmichael Lynch after a 31-year relationship. The split marked an official end to the typical ‘one-size-fits-all’ agency of record for the company, said Mark-Hans Richer, Harley's chief marketing officer.

“We’ve always listened to our customers,” Richer said. "It only makes sense for us to tap into their passion, as well as the ideas they openly share with us, to bolster our brand rather than keeping our creativity bottled in the creative department of an agency of record."

The new plan starts with ad agency Victors & Spoils, based on the principles of crowdsourcing. It will draw on the ideas of thousands of Harley enthusiasts to help guide brand creativity.

Approximately 2,000 people received the brief and 650 ideas were submitted by 160 Squirrel Fight participants – the largest outpouring of creativity Victors & Spoils has ever received for any project.

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About Rick Barrett

Rick Barrett covers manufacturing, telecom and agriculture. He has received Best in Business awards from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers and was co-recipient of a Barlett & Steele award for investigative business journalism.